The GOP-led dismantling of abortion rights continues

Oklahoma becomes the second state to ban most abortions after six weeks; Russia makes slow but costly progress in eastern Ukraine.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Oklahoma passes a near-total abortion ban

Alex Wong/Getty Images

• Oklahoma lawmakers on Thursday voted to ban abortions after a fetus’ heartbeat is detectable (usually around six weeks, before many people know they’re pregnant). [ABC News / Mary Kekatos]
• The bill contains an exception for cases where the mother’s life is in danger, but no exceptions for rape or incest. Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to sign it, and because of an emergency clause, it would immediately become effective. [CNN / Veronica Stracqualursi]
• The Oklahoma Senate also passed a second, more restrictive bill on Thursday that allows private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. That bill has exceptions for medical emergencies and rape or incest — if the crime is reported to law enforcement. [Oklahoman / Carmen Forman]
• Both bills are modeled on Texas measures that have driven thousands of Texans seeking abortions to Oklahoman providers. Now, Texans and Oklahomans will have to seek abortion care in surrounding states. [19th News / Shefali Luthra]
• The bills follow another Gov. Stitt signed into law early in April that makes providing abortions a felony. It’s expected to take effect this summer. [Associated Press / Sean Murphy]
• The measures aren’t unique to Oklahoma and Texas: Several GOP-led states have pursued abortion bans ahead of a Supreme Court case that could erase federal abortion rights this summer. [Washington Post / Caroline Kitchener]

Russia makes slow but costly progress in Ukraine

• Russia is reportedly suffering heavy losses in its war on Ukraine, but also appears to be making minor progress with its goal of controlling the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. [Reuters / Natalia Zinets]
• Resupplied Russian troops have made some territorial gains as they attempt to encircle enemy troops in eastern Ukraine, fanning out from Izium in the north and Mariupol to the south. [New York Times / Eric Schmitt]
• However, Ukrainian resistance and logistical issues have stymied these efforts, and it’s unclear whether Russian forces will be able to trap the Ukrainians from all sides. [CNN / Zachary Cohen, Oren Liebermann, Jim Sciutto, and Katie Bo Lillis]
• Meanwhile, Russia has escalated its attacks elsewhere, firing missiles at Kyiv as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes were Russia’s attempt to humiliate the UN as it sought to evacuate civilians. [Al Jazeera]
• Also this week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the US wanted to see Russia so "weakened" that it can never invade another country, raising concerns the war in Ukraine is becoming a proxy war between Russia and NATO. [Slate / Fred Kaplan]

Tennis great Boris Becker began serving a two-and-a-half year prison sentence on Friday for hiding millions in assets to avoid repaying debts. [BBC / Andre Rhoden-Paul]

• President Joe Biden has signaled he’s open to forgiving at least $10,000 in student debt per borrower. [The Hill / Hanna Trudo, Amie Parnes, and Alex Gangitano]
• A heatwave worsened by climate change brings temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit to India and Pakistan this week. [Washington Post / Ian Livingston and Kasha Patel]
• The British Virgin Islands premier was arrested on drug smuggling charges in the Miami area on Thursday. [NYT / Vimal Patel]

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“We should live in a world where we can respect each other’s personal decisions about if, when, and how to have children, including decisions about abortion.”

[Senator Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, discusses abortion rights /  Oklahoman]

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